The UFM Easy Riser is an American swept wing biplane

hang glider Hang gliding is an air sport or recreational activity in which a pilot flies a light, non-motorised foot-launched heavier-than-air aircraft called a hang glider. Most modern hang gliders are made of an aluminium alloy or composite frame cover ...

that was first powered in 1975, becoming the first modern ultralight aircraft. The Easy Riser was still in production as an unpowered glider in 2002 by Ultralight Flying Machines.Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page E-14. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001.

Design and development

The Easy Riser was developed by Larry Mauro from the earlier Kiceniuk Icarus II biplane hang glider. An engine was installed by John Moody in 1975 so the glider could be launched from flat terrain.Rogers, Bennett: ''1974 Sailplane Directory, Soaring Magazine'', page 99. Soaring Society of America, August 1974. USPS 499-920 Early powered versions consisted simply of a motor added to the foot-launched hang glider version with control by a combination of weight shift for pitch and tip rudders for roll and yaw, with the tip rudders used together as air brakes. Because many pilots could not run fast enough to achieve take-off, wheeled

tricycle gear Tricycle gear is a type of aircraft undercarriage, or ''landing gear'', arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has a single nose wheel in the front, and two or more main wheels slightly aft of the center of gravity. Tricycle ...

was added. The aircraft exhibited poor pitch stability, so a horizontal stabilizer and

elevator An elevator or lift is a cable-assisted, hydraulic cylinder-assisted, or roller-track assisted machine that vertically transports people or freight between floors, levels, or decks of a building, vessel, or other structure. They a ...

were added. Finally, on later versions, the tip rudders were replaced with a tail-mounted rudder. The Easy Riser is constructed with an

aluminium Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. I ...

structure and stamped ribs, covered in doped aircraft fabric covering,

Mylar BoPET (biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate) is a polyester film made from stretched polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and is used for its high tensile strength, chemical and dimensional stability, transparency, reflectivity, gas and a ...

or other coverings. The pilot sits on a fabric sling seat. Engines used include the McCulloch MAC-101,

Hirth F-36 The Hirth F-36 is a single-cylinder, two-stroke, carburetted aircraft engine designed for use on ultralight aircraft, especially powered paragliders and ultralight trikes. It is noted for its extremely small equipped weight of including exh ...

and

Solo 210 The Hirth F-36 is a single-cylinder, two-stroke, carburetted aircraft engine designed for use on ultralight aircraft, especially powered paragliders and ultralight trikes. It is noted for its extremely small equipped weight of including ex ...

. Easy Risers were produced in large numbers until the ultralight market downturn of the early 1980s when the type was taken out of production. Later, the unpowered glider version was put back into limited production. In 1979, Larry Mauro installed

solar cells A solar cell, or photovoltaic cell, is an electronic device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect, which is a physical and chemical phenomenon.

and an electric motor on a stock Easy Riser and the resulting Mauro Solar Riser become the first solar powered aircraft to carry a person aloft.

Aircraft on Display

* Canadian Air & Space Museum - Easy Riser used by

Bill Lishman William Lishman (February 12, 1939 – December 30, 2017) was a Canadian sculptor, filmmaker, inventor, naturalist and public speaker, president of William Lishman & Associates Limited, Vice President of Paula Lishman Limited and Chair Emeritu ...

in projects to teach birds to migrate *

EAA AirVenture Museum The EAA Aviation Museum, formerly the EAA AirVenture Museum (or Air Adventure Museum), is a museum dedicated to the preservation and display of historic and experimental aircraft as well as antiques, classics, and warbirds. The museum is lo ...

- two Easy Risers and the Solar Riser. *

US Southwest Soaring Museum The US Southwest Soaring Museum is an aviation museum, located at 918 E US Route 66, in Moriarty, New Mexico, United States that focuses on the history of gliding in the western United States. The museum is an affiliate member of the Soaring Socie ...

- Easy Riser

Specifications (Easy Riser ultralight)

Notable appearances in media

References

External links